On recent visits to the 3D Printshow in London and Maker Faire New York, many people asked how we made our 3D printed chainmail samples. This structure looks complex, but is actually shockingly simple to make— and a great newbie design project!

This is also a good example of interlocking or “nested” parts, which are often used for 3D printed jewelry, mechanical structures, and some complex dolls/action figures. It can also be used to make cosplay and LARP costumes or props. Our Materials page has the latest information about which 3D printing materials can handle interlocking parts….

Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!

Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!